A super short listen, read by the author, about her experiences growing up in the 60's. I don't know if it was the voice acting or the writing style of free verse, but I felt the novel was dry. It was telling without feeling. I know this isn't the opinion of most. I ought to give it another chance and maybe read it rather than listen to it.

Started out strong; the stories are hilarious and the tone and overall voice is really enjoyable. The author is the voice actor, which adds to the appeal and overall quality. About midway, however, the humor becomes redundant and the voice grows grating. I couldn't help but make the mental comparison of this book to the asinine, abrasive youtube videos my son's watch. Once that idea was there, I found the book harder to enjoy.

A fun listen about two people that share an apartment but have such different schedules that they literally never see each other. They fall in love over a bunch of post-it notes messages. I enjoyed the side story of the brother in prison. Of course, the first time the roommates meet is cliched, but it is a rom-com. The female voice acting really elevated the enjoyment of the novel for me.

Well-written fictional version of the author's family's story. I didn't like the third person pov from multiple perspectives because the transitions were nonexistent and it lacked clarity. Another good book by Kim but I liked The Calligrapher's Daughter better!

A love story that works outside the normal constraints of time and death. I really enjoyed the writing and the story, especially because it reminded me of one of my favorites, The Time Traveler's Wife. Unfortunately, the storyline doesn't maintain its momentum. The ending is not a crowd pleaser. All that being said, it was well-written and had unique alterations to typical storylines. I will look into the author's other books.

The coming of age story of a girl grappling with living the life she wants to live versus the life her parents want her to live, all while coming to terms with her sister's death and posthumously learning her sister wasn't who she thought she was. A good listen but nothing amazing.

Read this book as a family and wanted to love it, but it was lacking. The protaganist is annoying and not dynamic.The chapters of the main character talking to her dead best friend were weird. The story is building up to this big event and resolution that suddenly is switched in the end.The best part of the book is all of the facts about jellyfish! It didn't surprise me to read that the author originally wrote this as a nonfiction piece.

A story of two sisters growing up with very different, difficult struggles. The first half is the growing up years, highlighting the crises that damage the relationships, and is quite sexual. The second half is their adult lives and the reparation of relationships. The last quarter reads like a very long epilogue. As a reader invested in the characters, I understand the author wanting to wrap up every loose end, but it was too much.

An engaging listen about a baby that goes missing from his crib while the moms from a mom's group are having a night out. Similar conflict to The Couple Next Door, better-written but murky. Fast- paced, the sporadic switch in pov was confusing. The ending was a bit unclear, as well. I had to google a summary to learn what happened, and, in the process, discovered I wasn't alone.

I listened to this novel about all that ensues after a woman recycles her deceased mother's yearbook to have the neighbor pick it out of the trash. It was enjoyable enough to pay half-hearted attention to. It seemed like it the story line was a little jumpy and all over the place. It was okay.

I only read 11 pages before deciding I would prefer reading something more my style. The protagonist's voice felt forced and unnatural, slightly pretentious, like the author is trying to make the character fit a an exact mold. I didn't give it enough chance, though, for my opinion to be taken critically.

An excellent book! The voice acting on the audio version is SUPERB!! The story is of a family from Africa trying to make it in New York during the economic crisis of 2008. It's well-written with dynamic characters; the author illuminates the struggles of not only illegal "aliens" but also legal immigrants and native-born-Americans. Unfortunately it begins to drag at the end, but a worthwhile read!

CathythoughtsNice review 👍🏻. I read this one & loved it from start to finish1mo

A novel about a woman who gets a terminal medical diagnosis. I am rating it 2.5 because I can't recommend it, but i'm not completely advising against it. Here's the truth: You'll predict everything that will happen. The book is slow to get going, and the transitions to the flashbacks are awkward. Ultimately, it's a rom-com, and there's some fun in that.

A true crime book about solving the murder of a Swedish, multimillionaire, farmer, land owner, and pipe company owner. The story is D.R.Y.! It begins by revealing the motive and the suspects, so reading the book is to learn how the case is solved. Many chapters are needless. Only true crime lovers should attempt The Dark Heart.

This book was fun to read. I love the character of Susan; she's logical to a fault and lacks social skills and common sense. Throughout the book she is simultaneously experiencing an unexpected pregnancy and fighting her brother in court over their mother's will. In the end, the book becomes a love story, but that felt sort of abrupt.The obvious comparable book is Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine and The Cactus doesn't hold a candle to that.

I listened to this one because I had listened to Dumplin'. It felt like the author loved the characters and wanted to continue and expound on their stories. I never had been invested enough, and this book was more disappointing than the first.

This audiobook is super short; I started and finished it today as I set up my classroom. I love Ellen DeGeneres, but this book was disappointing. It's a bunch of random thoughts, not all funny. I was hoping for more, but at least Ellen does the voice acting.

I listened to this book. It begins with four children, siblings, finding out the date of their deaths from a fortune teller. The remainder of the novel elucidates one by one the life, and death, of each. Their reaction and subsequent choices determine their deaths and their lives. The book is well-written, but the depth of the characters was disproportionate and the additional stories of side characters seemed too much.

A fast, engaging novel about two sisters with a complicated relationship, one murders while the other cleans up the mess. The writing and characters aren't deep, but they are intriguing. The book is hard to put down.

I made it through 198 pages, but this style isn't for me. I have no doubt that it will resonate with many readers. It's memoir-esque but more humorous observations on adulthood and the gap between expectations and reality. Her views mildly rubbed me the wrong way, and I want to spend my reading time on more engaging novels.

I listened to The Good Daughter, an intense thriller about two vicious, fictional attacks--a break-in from the past and a school shooting in the present. The past traumatic event is covered in excruciating detail. The present is the mystery this family of lawyers is trying to solve while the past the family is trying to heal from.

Set in Afganistan, this novel vacillates between the story of Rahima and her great great grandmother, Shekiba. Both women struggle with their families and with the roles of women in their culture. They dream of more, but find themselves unable to effect change in their own lives. The storylines are enthralling and emotionally taxing.

After picking it up from the library, I put off reading Station Eleven, leery of the post apocalyptic storyline. I was immediately invested, though. The writing is good, and I'm eager to check out more of St. John Mandel's work. This book would make for a good discussion at a book club.

I was about a quarter into listening to Dumplin', wondering why the story seemed so familiar, when I realized I'd seen the movie! The novel is a basic coming of age story, a teenaged girl that is fat pushes social barriers by competing in the town's beauty pageant. Along the way she struggles with relationships with friends, boys, her mom, and deals with the repercussions of her aunt's death.

Children are such a wave, the birthing and caring and rearing. When you're in the throes it all seems interminable. Then, whoosh, it's over. I don't know why I was surprised when the children grew up, but I was. I thought, in their youth, it would last forever. Now I see that it was my youth, not theirs that was speaking. The past is now and now and now. P. 169

A few pages in to Call Your Daughter Home, I considered giving up. I can't imagine now! The story is of three women in the South in the early 20th century, one black, one poor white, and one rich white. They all struggle with family, money, weather, sickness, and death. The beauty of the novel is the emotion, especially Retta's. There are some powerful scenes of birth, death, and healing. I highly recommend!

NuteI like the title of this book, and now your review has piqued my curiosity. Stacking!1mo

A fun read about a p.i. investigating a murder at the magic school at which her twin sister teaches. Feelings of jealousy that her sister is magic and she's not, the p.i. is estranged from her sister. Reading this novel, it's not a surprise that Gailey got her start writing Harry Potter fan fiction. My disappontments are that there is plenty of buildup and little resolution and the book ends abruptly.

I listened to this story of three people coming together to hide a body that none of them killed. Coming from Guatemala, Chile, and the US., they all have difficult backstories that the book flashes between. There was nothing wrong with the book per se, but I wasn't engaged in the story or invested in the characters.

Marketed as a memoir, Hillbilly Elegy reads more like interesting political and sociological nonfiction. With my education in education, the conclusions Vance draws are familiar to me. Children that have multiple traumas can succeed if they have a positive relationship with an adult that believes in them and if they are taught how to maneuver the system. A good and important read, but not my cup of tea.

Book 75, the book that allowed me to reach my Goodreads goal! Set in Sweden, the book is told in three perspectives: the dad/a pastor, the daughter/ barely 18, and the mom/a lawyer. The daughter returns late one night, washes her outfit, showers, and goes to bed. The next day she's arrested for murder. The mystery unfolds layer by layer. The dad's perspective is the best written, but the mother's lacks depth and feels hastily written.

I knew nothing of Japan's occupation of Korea during the early 1900s--the radical change it had on government, culture, and, of course, the well-being of Korean citizens. The story is of a girl growing up in a time when not only her life choices but her personality are limited by her gender. She has many struggles, but my favorites are her internal battles of faith and strong character. Well-written characters, relationships, and culture.

This audiobook has excellent voice acting, which made it very engaging. I loved the obstinate Willa character. The story is not really my style, set in early 1900s small town USA, an upper class woman arrives to write the town's history and the resolution to town mystery unfolds. I believe it's the well-crafted writing that really makes this book, excellent perspective from multiple characters and the timing being spot on.

Read this as a family. The story is about two tweens that play online scrabble together. They both are having family and friend problems. There is nothing compelling about the plot, characters, or writing. It's boring at times and annoying at times. My boys didn't enjoy it either.

This novel, set during a real art show, isn't what I expected. Initially I was disappointed in the writing, the occasional narrator that must be art personified??!, and the style of modern art this book glorifies. However, I became interested in the career of Abramovic and felt moved by her exhibit. This book made me think about art's role in how we interact with others, the world, even death. It will stick with me, and that is worthwhile

I loved this book! The best part is the voice of the protagonist, Dinesh. He is a man forced to evacuate his home during the Sri Lankan civil war; he's the last living member of his family, surviving without sleep or much food. Being privy to his mind is like reading through the sludge of simple, logical, and confused thoughts that I assume make up a mind when living is no longer a given. I wish it had ended as strong as it began.